Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and friends and share a meal together. For many U.S. families, that means roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry, and pumpkin pie. But for some refugee families, the holiday can be a time to share native dishes and new holiday traditions.

Azhar Ahmed stood by the kitchen stove, adding the final ingredients to a fava bean dish from Sudan called Ful. “Now I put the cheese, tomato, onion, lemon, and olive oil,” she said. “This is my favorite.”

The dining room table in her New Haven apartment was set with a colorful African cloth and a Sudanese feast.

Ahmed’s 11-year-old daughter Lames described what was on the table. “Fish, eggplant, falafel, and basbousa,” which is a traditional sweet cake made from semolina, flour, sugar, oil, and topped with almonds.